Colonial
by Chrystallized
Summary: (AU.) A collection of chapters in which Jack never becomes Jack Frost. They may or may not be in order depending on which chapters I want to write and publish. Taking requests if there are any, please PM.
1. Indebted

**A/N: Annnd the terrible author is back with yet another story that will never be finished, though this chapter could stand alone as a oneshot. Another ROTG fic! **

**If you guys have read my other ROTG work "The Babysitter," you should be somewhat familiar with my OC, Brooke. Like I have mentioned before, I'm fond of my OCs and she evidently doesn't seem to be going away soon, so here she is in a totally different setting:**

**Colonial times.**

**I'm horrible with historical fiction, but I thought I'd give it a shot because it just sounds so interesting to me and I jump at the chance to write some brother/sister stuff with Jack and his little sister, whom I have named Jill. (****The fandom seems to universally accept the name Emma for her though. *sobs*) **

**Here's the gist: it won't be written the way I usually write chapter stories. They'll be more like a collection of drabbles that are connected by a plot that is seemingly vague until you put all the pieces together. The chapters will be shorter than normal, around 1,000-2,000 words. Don't worry, there's a plot, but the chapters may deviate from the central story into little missing moments and things like that. **

**This is set in an an AU where Jack never becomes Jack Frost. **

* * *

_Mom's going to kill me when she finds out about this_, Jack thought, chuckling inwardly. But at least Jill was fine, and that was all that mattered.

It almost seemed like a miracle. Jill had been in danger of falling through the ice, but somehow Jack had managed to save her. Honestly, it was a blur; the only thing the teenager was thinking of was keeping his sister out of harm's way. Add a bit of hopscotch, and voila. Mission accomplished.

They were both lying on their stomachs now, and Jill looked at him gleefully. He'd done it! She struggled to get up on the ice while wearing the skates, but she managed to stand up. Jack was about to get up as well, but a voice behind him caused him to pause.

"No—wait!"

He had never heard that voice before, and as far as Jack could tell, Jill didn't recognize who it was either. She looked just as confused as he was. It took him a few seconds to process that the voice was in fact female, given his prior bewilderment.

Beneath him, the ice protested against his weight, and Jack began to panic. The person must've noticed, because her voice again told him, "Stay calm, just...just lie flat."

At this point, Jack saw a figure come into his line of sight from the left: a teenage girl. The first thing he noticed was her short, curly hair that bounced as she moved. She hurried to the pond and stepped softly onto the ice, hesitant and first. When she found it safe, she made her way over to the middle. The girl slipped in her hurry, right before getting to Jill, and Jack would've laughed if he weren't about to sink to his death. She picked up Jack's staff and turned to Jill.

Because he hadn't much other choice, Jack obeyed her orders, lowering slowly and prostrating on the surface. The ice quieted a little, and Jack was a tad more at ease.

The girl with the curly hair spoke in a soothing tone to Jill. "Hello little miss, would you like to help me?" she asked politely, holding out her hand.

Jill's eyes went to Jack uncertainly, and the girl followed her gaze, turning her head and allowing Jack a good look at her face.

She had gray eyes and fair skin, though her cheeks were tinged pink from the cold. Her brown hair was falling a bit in front of her face. She seemed oddly calm; the puffs of mist emitting from her mouth came out in a slow, steady rhythm with her breathing.

Turning back to Jill, she laughed. It was a brief chuckle, but it effectively broke the tension in the air. Jill looked up at her inquisitively. The older girl smiled warmly, hand still outstretched slightly.

"Come on," she coaxed. "I'd imagine he's cold waiting on the ice for so long."

Jill looked up at her. "Okay," the young girl said firmly, eyebrows knitting together in determination as she took the older girl's hand. Jack felt pride swell in his chest. His sister had always been a strong girl, but it was the first time he had seen her be strong for his sake. If Jack were to really die then, he would've died happy.

Smiling, the older girl said, "Here's what we'll do..."

She was remarkably adept at giving instructions: in a few seconds she had Jill positioned in front of her, both of them holding the curved end of the staff out in Jack's direction.

"Now, we're just going to pull him off of there," the stranger instructed. "Steady okay? Like tug-of-war, almost."

Jack caught onto her idea and gripped the staff end with both hands. Unfortunately his movement caused the ice to crack even more, so Jill and the other girl hastened to pull him in. Together, the two girls counted, "One, two, three!"

With a final tug, they awkwardly reeled Jack's body in across the slick surface and back onto thicker ice. The force almost caused Jill to fall down; the friction between Jack and the ice was greater than they imagined. Once he got the momentum, Jack slid well across the pond. Jack glanced up at the girl as he pressed his palms down to stop himself. Her breathing had become heavier, but she nodded, assuring him it was safe. Slowly and carefully, Jack stood up. The ice didn't groan, and he sighed in relief.

The next moment, Jill had come over and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He ran a hand over her hair. She was giggling happily, and Jack couldn't help but smile too. When he lifted his head, he saw the girl standing a just little ways off, regarding them cautiously. She saw him looking and walked over to them, handing the staff to Jack. "I believe this is yours, sir."

Jack reached with one hand and took the staff, Jill still clinging to him.

"Your tummy's cold, Jack," she said, laughing.

Jack chuckled at his sister, but his eyes shifted back to the girl who had just saved his life.

"Thank you," he told her, not knowing what else to say.

She became nervous under his gaze and tucked a curl behind her ear, clearing her throat. "Well, you did such a great job saving your sister, and I can't imagine she would want to return home without you." Once she met his eyes, she gave him a small smile and shrugged lightly.

"You saw that?" Jack asked, eyebrows rising. He started to feel somewhat self-conscious, considering his mistake nearly lead to his death. It was slightly embarrassing.

The girl mistook his expression for suspicion. "I was only passing through the woods, I promise." She tried to change the subject. "My name is Brooke, by the way."

Jack grinned, hoping to get the stranger to relax. "Jackson. But most people just call me Jack. And this is Jill."

He gestured to his kid sister, who waved sheepishly. "Thank you for helping my brother," she told Brooke sincerely.

Brooke's eyes softened. "Of course, little miss," she replied. "Let's just hope he won't need my help very often in the future."

The three of them laughed. Then, Brooke noticed Jack's bare feet and pointed. "Aren't you cold?"

Jack and Jill looked down at his feet. The teenage boy wiggled his toes. "It's not so bad," he admitted. He wasn't trying to be tough or anything. Maybe he was still in shock.

Jill detached herself from her brother as he went to pick up his skates, tying the laces and hanging them over his shoulder.

"Jack doesn't like to wear shoes," Jill announced. "He's always barefoot, even though mama and papa says he shouldn't be."

"Well, not _always_," Jack corrected her quickly. "My boots are right there by the bank." He hoped Brooke wouldn't think him crazy, but she just gave him an understanding smile.

They moved off of the ice and onto the grass. Jill removed her skates and replaced them with her leather boots. Jack slipped his boots on too. They were newer, only a few months old and despite the snow they kept his feet well warm.

After trying to figure out who she was, Jack decided that he had never seen her before in his life; he would have definitely remembered a girl whose hair curled in such a way. The curls weren't uniform-they were actually somewhat messy-and they only hung down to the nape of Brooke's neck. No other person in Burgess had curly hair like that.

"There has to be some way we can repay you," Jack said, looking thoughtful.

"Oh, it's fine—" Brooke started, but she was soon cut off.

"How about you have dinner with us?" Jack suggested, and Jill clapped excitedly.

"Please, Brooke?" she pleaded with large eyes.

To say the least, Brooke was taken aback by the offer. As much as she wanted to accept, she had to tell them no politely. They seemed like nice people, but her father would be worried (and later furious) if she returned late. Of course, the siblings didn't know that.

"I—" she took a moment to recollect her thoughts. "Isn't it quite dangerous to invite a stranger into your home?"

Jack and Jill both laughed, and for a second Brooke was worried that she had said something horribly naïve

"I owe you my life," Jack countered. "And I'm very good at repaying my debts, you know. I like a clean record."

Brooke shook her head, but the smile was still on her face. "Consider this, then: I, your debtor, declare that you owe me nothing, so your record is still clean."

For now, Jack would let her win with that argument. He put his hands up in surrender, which seemed satisfactory to Brooke. She bent down and ruffled Jill's hair. "Goodbye, little miss." Brooke straightened up and looked briefly at Jack. "I'll be seeing you then." She turned to leave, but Jack stopped her.

"Hold on, though," he said. When she faced him again, she saw his eyebrows were knit together. "So...where will you go?" He couldn't imagine she was really alone, but no one else was around and it didn't seem right to leave her.

To Jack's surprise, Brooke flashed a grin at them, distracting Jack from his worries.

"I'll be fine," Brooke told them. "I actually don't live far from this pond.

She turned on her heel and walked away, disappearing behind the trees. The siblings watched her go, and when she was gone, Jack felt Jill tugging on the edge of his shirt.

"We should go, too," the young girl said. "Mama will have dinner soon and I'm hungry."

Jack nodded in agreement. The two of them walked back to town hand in hand, Jill swinging her skates back in forth in her other hand. She started humming a chipper tune, momentarily distracting them from the dire situation of the recent events. But on the walk back, Jack's mind still wandered.

What if he had died? Jack vaguely wondered how cold it would've been had he sunk into the water, to feel the heat drain from his body and be surrounded in total darkness. How long would it have taken him to freeze?

A chill ran up his spine, but feeling his sister's warm little hand in his own brought him back to reality. Jack snuck a glance at Jill, who was still in a cheery mood, and he silently thanked the heavens he was still around to see his little sister smile.

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**A/N: Gosh it's so cliche...but I hope you guys can stick around long enough for later chapters, which I'm more confident about updating since the installments could be anything as long as it's set in this fic's universe and timeline. I tend to have less writer's block that way. I may not even have them updated in chronological order. Whoops.**

**Hope to be back soon!**

**-Chrys**


	2. Dinner

**A/N: I want to keep my author's notes to the bare minimum, so I won't waste anyone's time. Still, I'd like to say that I've decided to accept requests if anyone has them. (If you do, I'd prefer a PM; I'll give you credit where it's due.) Since I'm doing a lot of missing moments, it occurred to me that people may want to see specific scenarios in this fanfiction, and I'll do my best to comply.**

**Constructive criticism is appreciated!**

**-Chrys**

* * *

At meal times, the seating arrangement around the small square table was always the same: Jack sat across from his father, and Jill was to his left, across from their mother. Sometimes it made Jack feel uncomfortable to fall under his father's watchful eye.

Mr. Overland had brought home some meat from the market, so dinner was considerably more satisfying than usual. After saying grace, the family went on to eat without much conversation, as they were too busy enjoying the meal. Jack was idly picking at his bread when he heard his mother and father begin speaking.

"They're expanding the Burgess settlement," Mr. Overland was saying. "New people are coming in—a lot of them carpenters and merchants—so we're definitely going to see some changes around the town soon."

"Really now?" Mrs. Overland asked with interest. "And who's been telling you that?"

Mr. Overland took another bite of his meal, chewed slowly, and swallowed. "I've been down at the tavern. A few of the men were discussing it, including Davis."

Jim Davis was the town butcher, who was sometimes confused with Jim Bryant, the farmer. Most people referred to them by their last names. Jim Davis was also a long-time friend of Mr. Overland, and they were always talking in their spare time.

"Is he sure the new people aren't just looking to settle elsewhere?" Mrs. Overland pressed. "The town's been how it is for years, they can't just suddenly change everything overnight."

"Don't worry, Mary." Mr. Overland chuckled. "Expansion's not going to hurt anyone. It'll be good for us. Besides, they won't be touching this side of town."

"And why is that?"

"Because the new settlers are building their own residential area on a different side of the town square," Mr. Overland explained, using pieces of bread to explain. "We'll be here—" He placed one piece at the top edge of his plate, away from him. "—and they'll be there." He placed the other on his right side of the plate.

The children snorted, knowing how much their mother insisted for them not to play with their food. Mr. Overland winked at them while Mrs. Overland simply rolled her eyes. She looked like she was about to laugh too, though.

"Okay, I understand," she said, sighing. "How about families? Were there any children?"

Mr. Overland paused a moment to think before shaking his head. "Not that I know of, but they just came in the early morning, so no one really knows for sure. Everyone's too busy with their work to go and take a look."

"Maybe we'll know in the evening," their mother suggested.

Jack felt someone tapping on his left elbow. He turned to Jill, who asked him with a mouthful of food, "You think Brooke is a new settler, Jack?"

It was a little difficult to understand, in Jack's opinion, but his parents somehow managed to interpret her garble.

"Now, Jill, don't talk with your mouth full, please," their mother chided.

"Who?" Mr. Overland asked, raising a brow curiously. He looked at his daughter. "Did you two meet someone, Jill?"

Jill nodded. "At the pond, earlier today!"

When his parents looked at him for an explanation, Jack cleared his throat. "Uh—well. She showed up while we were skating."

"She saved him from drowning," Jill supplemented, and Jack mentally groaned. The word "drowning" was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

Before his parents could convey their worry past the horrified facial expressions, Jack continued, "It was nothing, I mean, the ice was too thin so I had to get Jill to the other side and I accidentally—"

"Jill too?" His mother's brow creased as she scolded him. "Jackson Overland, I told you to be careful!"

"I know," Jack sighed. "I'm sorry mom, really I am. But we're home now. We won't go back to the pond anymore. I didn't want to say anything because I knew you and dad would worry."

Mrs. Overland was about to argue some more, but she saw Jill's apologetic face and relented. Her husband put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and said, "The boy's right, Mary. All we can do is be happy they're safe and pray nothing happens to them in the future. Jack's a clever boy, after all."

"Or a lucky one," his mom countered.

Mr. Overland laughed heartily. "Well, anyways," he changed the subject, "I'd like to know more about the person who saved you, Jack."

At first, Jack thought his father would criticize him, but his expression told him otherwise. The teenager sighed deeply before speaking.

"Neither of us had seen her before," Jack said. "She has short, curly hair and gray eyes. We don't really know anything about her other than her name: Brooke."

Jill grinned when Jack mentioned Brooke's name. His parents looked thoughtful.

"Curly hair?" Mrs. Overland mused. "She must be a newcomer. I haven't seen anyone with curly hair in Burgess for years, not since I was a child."

"She'll be easy to spot," Mr. Overland agreed, chuckling. "But Jack—" he looked pointedly at his son "—I don't want this person making you jumps through hoops for her just because she saved your life, okay?"

"Charles!" Mrs. Overland chided, appalled. "Don't go judging people before you even meet them!"

Mr. Overland shrugged. "You never know," he reasoned, taking his final bite of bread.

"But she didn't want anything," Jack interrupted. "She said I owed her nothing, even after I asked her to have dinner with us."

"You did what?" Mrs. Overland was incredulous. "Without consulting me or your father?"

"Well, it doesn't matter since she said no," Jack said, slightly embarrassed. His mother never reprimanded him so much before, and it made him feel bad.

His parents dropped the subject, and Mrs. Overland went to collect the dishes and wash them in the basin. Jill asked if she and Jack could go play outside for a few more hours before dark. After getting the okay, the two kids left the table and hurried outside.

When they were gone, Mrs. Overland continued to grumble about Jack's carelessness as she washed the plates. Her husband stared at her, bewildered. Mr. Overland knew his wife was not one to stay angry for long. He got up and walked up to her, placing a hand on her back.

"Mary, what's troubling you?" he asked. "You're usually not like this."

She scrubbed the plate with the rag a little harder. "I'm sorry, Charles, it's just…" Mrs. Overland sighed, dropping her task for a moment and shaking her head. "Jack is going to be eighteen this year. You know the boy's going to have to start learning sometime."

"We've been over this," Mr. Overland said patiently. "Jack has already expressed his disinterest in my work."

"I'd say it's more than disinterest," Mary said dejectedly, resuming her scrubbing. "He hated being an arkwright."

Charles laughed. "No need to remind me."

"He needs to do _something_," Mary insisted. "He can't always be messing around with the town kids. Almost and adult and still has no work. I just want him to be well off. We can't send him away on an apprenticeship now or Jill would be devastated."

"Maybe Jill would understand," Charles ventured. "She may be young but if it's for Jack's sake—"

"But Jack wouldn't want it," Mary retorted, her voice rising. "I think for the rest of his life all he wants to do is play games with his kid sister and the other children, without worrying about the consequences."

"Jack is a fine boy," Charles said firmly. "We raised him so. He will find work when he can, and he'll do so in time. Besides, Bryant pays him well enough to work with the farm animals five days a week."

Mary finished the last of the dishes and dried her hands on her apron. She went to go sit back down at the table and her husband followed.

"What about when he has a family, Charles?" she wondered. "Or if he can even have one? He's wonderful with children but God knows hardly any girl in her right mind could accept someone who hasn't anything to support them both. He's a fine young man but hardly a husband."

"Now are you saying that our son isn't good enough for any lady out there?" Charles asked. "He'll be fine; the boy knows what he's doing. He knows life can't be just fun and games. He works, and he works damn hard for the people he cares about. Any girl in her right mind would be able to see that."

Mary smiled at her husband and sighed, not saying anything. Maybe he was right, and she had nothing to worry about. She would have to put the negative thoughts out of her mind. All she could do was hope for the best.

Outside, Jack was leaning against the wall of the house, next to the open window that allowed him to hear every word of his parents' conversations. Jill had gone to get her friends Mabel and Lucas, so Jack decided he would wait by the house. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help his curiosity.

He didn't know his mother had felt that way. He didn't know that she worried about him so much because she thought he wasn't ready to live on his own. Until now, these kinds of problems never even occurred to Jack. Jack knew that a lot was expected of him, being the eldest child and the only male, but he didn't like to be reminded. He knew he needed to find a trade to work in, but he'd put if off for so long that he became blissfully ignorant of his situation.

For a while he just stood there, staring at the ground, arms crossed. A heavy weight seemed to put itself on his shoulders, and suddenly Jack felt as though the rug had been yanked out from under him.

"Jack!"

His head snapped up, and he saw Jill with Mabel and Lucas. The three kids were waiting patiently for him, and Jill waved for him to join them.

"Come on!" she said excitedly.

Jack plastered a smile onto his face and ran over to them. Seeing the kids' faces, his smile no longer became forced. Mabel and Lucas greeted Jack with enthusiasm and Jack followed the three kids to whatever game they had in mind this time.

Being around the kids was fulfilling for Jack. Taking care of them and entertaining them just came so easy to him, and he loved it. He loved when the kids would laugh and smile at him like he was the greatest person in the world. Jack wouldn't trade those smiles for anything.

He briefly looked behind him at the house, and then back at the kids, who had already started their fun and were chasing each other around. They weren't hurting anyone, and they were happy. Jack wondered if it would really be so bad to stay like that forever, to be surrounded by people who care about you and always enjoy life.

Perhaps it was just wishful thinking.


End file.
